Having burst into tears while telling his mum about his first England call-up
last week, there was a danger that Luke Shaw would turn on the waterworks
again yesterday when informed of the generous tributes from his team-mates.

The eulogies carried added value as they came from colleagues past and
present, with Adam Lallana claiming that Shaw is the most talented teenager
he has seen, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain describing him as a beast.

Lallana’s words were particularly striking, given the calibre of the
team-mates he has played with at Southampton in recent years, not least
Oxlade-Chamberlain himself. Theo Walcott and